Disclaimer: None of these characters, locations, or their attacks belong to me. They're all the property of Square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Also, the quote from Monty Python isn't mine either.
Author's Note: Consider this an original story with OOC moments in an alternate universe. Original KH worlds introduced in the videogames will be set locations but will all be located on one world. No galaxy traveling in this tale. No Disney or Final Fantasy characters will be used, my reasoning is in the author's note at end of chapter. Just a head's up, this isn't a detective story but it did tickle me how Aqua would suddenly act like she was on an investigation team in KHBBS. So, just think of it as a more mature version of sleuthing in this chapter about how she would sound if Disney themes weren't involved.
Chapter One: Peace is but a fond memory
Traverse Town was a quaint little town forgotten in the mountains. The town wasn't heavily populated like surrounding cities but was large enough for word to travel fast. Anything out of the ordinary was quickly noticed by the townsfolk.
The town was in a frenzy, and there weren't any appropriate measures of keeping a muddle of this scale from going unnoticed, despite numerous attempts to keep things hush-hush.
Anybody capable of breathing couldn't ignore this peculiarity. Clean-up crews and low-ranking medics were sent in to try deescalating the worrisome situation but couldn't handle the intensity of the stench.
The young woman couldn't blame them for fleeing, the stench was unbearable.
A pile of partially mutated bodies was scattered across a dark, dilapidated alleyway before her. The victims were barely breathing. Portions of their skin were sporting unnaturally dark, swirling tints of color with an undisclosed black ooze dripping from some of the victims' wounds.
One of the medics called these poor souls- the living dead. A cruel term but it was spoken in sincere honesty, most of these bodies resembled corpses more than an actual infected human being.
The young woman shivered at the vacantness in their eyes.
She considered using curaga on them but knew the effort would prove fruitless. Her good intentions may foster their pain and drive them into a frenzy slowing their treatment. Extensive healing was necessary from medics better equipped with dealing with this devastation.
Potions and antidotes couldn't clean up this mess.
Opening a pocket in her shorts, she considered using an elixir just to test the waters but these particular wounds were not always healed with simple incantations and medicines. She closed her pocket defeatedly.
The stench rose again causing a wave of nausea to consume her. Aqua clamped a hand over her nose again.
Dread filled her. Her heart was pounding rapidly.
Master Eraqus received word from various sources about preteens and young adults going missing. Rumors spread regarding dark experimentation being conducted on them which drew the old man's attention swiftly. Master Eraqus wasted no time commanding his only pupil, Aqua, to journey out into the midst of danger to investigate the situation.
The blue-haired warrior was reassigned to this mission: after being deemed a higher priority. She wasn't overly concerned about the reassignment because she already completed her first mission: dispatching a group of bandits and their boss harassing travelers along country roads. The bandits were deposited at the front door of the mayor's office for his team to throw in jail.
Master Eraqus texted Aqua all the information gathered for her to gleam over. During her ride over on her glider she read through the files to learn about this case.
Experimentation wasn't uncommon in this era. People were always exploring new methods of enhancing dexterousness or power boosting. The new case wouldn't be anything different from the norm- or so she had thought.
This mission's detailing offered the bare minimum of information. She was under the assumption it was another case where public hysteria helped to embellish a situation to make it seem worst. Poor woman didn't know what trap she was walking into until she arrived at her destination.
The supposed rumors winded up being facts.
The victims appeared to be slightly younger than her eighteen years. This conclusion was reached after Aqua took notice of the noticeable signs of baby fat still in their faces. Skimming her eyes over the bodies she determined none of the victims bore any similarities besides their youthfulness.
This wasn't going to be an average task assigned to her. Usually, she was sent out to protect people or preserve the peace, not having to deal with this debauchery.
The woman barely took two steps into Traverse Town around dusk before new information was dumped on her lap. Contrary to the information presented at the Land of Departure, the ancient land where keyblade bearers trained, this wasn't the first incident of mutation she learned minutes prior from the town's leader. But this was the first reported case to reach her and her master's ears.
People spoke in whispers about the return of spellcasters trained in the dark arts.
The blue-haired woman discreetly rolled her eyes thinking about these whispers being a whole bunch of nonsense. Since the Keyblade War of past eons, and other grand battles against distinctive shadowy organizations, it was rare to encounter a darkness wielder in this current era.
Darkness wielders were commonly called 'dark wielders' nowadays; because people thought the latter sounded cooler.
She internally rolled her eyes as the older gentleman from the Traverse Town's council led her to the alley where the bodies were found.
He halted suddenly.
Aqua looked back at him questionably when the stench hit her. Citizens shrank back to the outer regions of the nearby square. The gentleman apologized as he informed her the dark energy located in the alley affected his health and he couldn't travel any further.
The statement sounded fabricated but she couldn't condemn the man. An ordinary person wasn't trained in dealing with the negative auras of this location. Even she could barely stand the vileness emanating from this tiny portion of the town.
Aqua bid him farewell as she approached the alleyway thinking about all the conversations she overheard while the gentleman was explaining the circumstances.
Besides the mentions of dark wielders, the more troubling gossip was the discussion of dark magic experimentation. There were marks on some of these teenagers' wrists possibly linked to chains being used to restrain them.
Nothing was worse than imagining a teenager being tied down and experimented on against their will.
Adults, fearing for their young, notified the keyblade masters to inspect these matters before someone was fatally injured. The keyblade masters were notorious in handling cases of this extremity.
Aqua's master was a wizened old man with a plethora of knowledge regarding the tangible and intangible elements of their world.
Age prevented him from traveling lately, a component earning his chagrin. The master enjoyed meeting with people and obtaining information face-to-face instead of through electronics or magic. He was of a bygone era.
Lately, he made comments of feeling helpless with his declining health. Aqua would gently remind her master that he was the best keyblade wielder of the century which earned a chuckle.
Though the man was laughing there was still the glint of sadness in those eyes.
His sad brown eyes spoke of years of lost and forlornness regarding what he considered the golden years of his life.
Master Eraqus was the only remaining keyblade wielder from the old generation. His fellow classmates had died off years ago. He mentioned them all with fondness; but one particular man stood out from the rest in the way the master spoke about him with familiarity. Whenever Aqua made comments about this man her master would clamp his lips shut and state it was a story for another time.
That story had yet to be revealed going on twelve years now.
Keyblade wielders were nearly extinct when Aqua decided to become a wielder at the tender age of six. Master Eraqus had other pupils but none reached the same potential as Aqua who was the studious type. Most lost faith in the keyblade arts or died on missions.
The orphaned six-year-old Aqua's one goal in life was to protect people and she thought of nothing else during all her trials of training. A childish fantasy but she always felt she had a higher purpose in life: to serve as the protector of this era in her young mind.
Years of arduous training finally paid off; six months had now passed since she was granted the rank of master. The woman felt pride and gratitude to be recognized as an equal by the man she respected dearly as a father figure. Earning his praise always thrilled her. The man practically raised her while she was under his tutelage.
Any shortcomings were her faults not her master's.
Still, she couldn't deny the bouts of insecurity. Was she worthy of being a keyblade master? Did she have the right to question her master's decisions now that she was his equal?
The thought of arguing with Master Eraqus always made her feel nauseous. It felt like a sin to disagree with her father figure.
Then again, she was always the dutiful student, the agreeable child.
Never one to question any figure of authority in her life.
Lost in thought, Aqua almost lost her footing over a dropped bottle. The bottle skidded down the street noisily. She wanted to slap herself for lollygagging. Now was not the time to let her mind meander.
In the still, quiet atmosphere, her armored boots echoed fiendishly in the flickering torchlit pathway as she walked furthered into the suffocating darkness. The lights diminished the further she walked. Perhaps, it was paranoia but she could swear there were eyes watching her from the shadows. When she looked over her shoulder at the fleeting light she felt as though she was miles away instead of a few feet.
Upon reaching one of the bodies Aqua swallowed painfully.
A strange sheen flickered across one teen's eyes, maybe a hint of recognition, or acknowledgement, that they were aware of someone being present. The victim's breathing turned heavier until Aqua shushed them gently.
Aqua mimicked the behavior of mothers attending their distraught child. It appeared to work as the teen steadily calmed down.
Kneeling down, Aqua forbid the feelings of disgust, making her want to flee, to try and comfort the poor boy. The boy closed his eyes as she brushed his hair back in a motherly fashion.
"You're okay," Aqua whispered, to not disturb the others. Absentmindedly, she pondered, "What type of monster is capable of doing such horrific things to these children?"
Groans of pain surrounded her as other feeble voices pleaded for help. Their pleas almost brought tears to her eyes.
Just how could any human being with a rational mind display such callousness? The person must be a sociopath to be able to perform these sick experiments and then abandon the test subjects when they didn't meet the desired results. Not only abandon them, but practically tossed them away like garbage!
The teens were left to die.
A surge of fury and revulsion burned in her chest.
One of her master's lessons was to control her emotions to prevent them from clouding her judgment. A clear mind was capable of making hard choices, a strained mind made foolhardy decisions.
Yet, the master's teachings hadn't prepared her for this.
Treating injured civilians was a daily occurrence in her line of work. No sweat there.
But dealing with cold-blooded torture? This was uncharted territory for her.
Her frown deepened at the realization these failed experiments were possibly conducted by an organization, instead of one mad scientist. Should the information be correct regarding these body deposits happening across the globe, that meant no place was safe. The attacks were occurring anywhere between high-tech cities, with their looming buildings, to small towns where people were still building aqueducts to obtain water.
Unless the person was riding a glider there was no way they were able to travel globally this frequently. She needed to investigate the previous body deposit immediately to gather more clues.
Whoever- or whatever- was performing this travesty had to be stopped at once.
No deaths were reported yet; but who knew how long that hopeful detail would last.
Hopefully, one of the victims would regain coherency and be able to answer some of her questions. She prayed their memories hadn't been tampered with.
The mumbles of the boy brought her back to the present, his eyes were wide with alarm. Aqua leaned her head down to listen to what he had to say. It was faint but the unmistakable statement rang loud and clear, "Behind you."
A loud thump ricocheted as another body was chucked into the alley like a sack of potatoes.
The sounds of footsteps echoed behind her before they stopped abruptly. The shadow casted by the person looked fiendish. Horns could be seen in the shadow's outline and she wondered if another common creature had wandered into the town looking for scraps of food.
Every voice in that alley went silent at the appearance of this fiend. Fear ran rampant. Even Aqua could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise.
Whatever this presence was it hummed with dark energy.
Perhaps this was the spellcaster or scientist who delighted in torturing children?
The voice was definitely human when it spoke through a barrier masking any distinguishable features, "I don't recall throwing you in with the horde."
Aqua took a defensive stance as she jumped up to face this individual.
The sight of a tall, male physique covered in a thick, reddish suit of armor greeted her. On another male she would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the armor but not on this man. She assumed this individual was an adult based on height but who knew.
Aqua only wore her armor in critical situations not for a casual stroll through town. Then again, she wasn't in the business of kidnapping and experimenting on people so she lacked a reason for wearing armor to conceal her identity.
It appeared the presence's shadowy aura wasn't linked to a creature. Indeed, the aura belonged to a human being.
The dim lighting made it difficult to discern any other notable features about this armored male. All she could determine was the male was strong enough to endure the weight of such striking armor, possessed dark energy, and was tall.
None of this information was particularly helpful in the current situation.
Presently, the opponent's advantages were his height and built- when compared to her slight figure- but she had faced worse when dealing with monsters and hoodlums from unsavory backgrounds.
Ironically, his armor was both a blessing and hindrance, pending on its' durability. If the armor cracked after a few jabs he needed to find a new armorer.
This man could be dispatched easily if she calculated his attacks correctly. For one thing, he didn't appear to be wielding any weapons. Secondly, armor was useless if he lacked any other method of defending himself.
By the end of the battle, she was going to either freeze, or heat, him out of the armor should he prove defiant.
A good shock to the metal could make him regret his life choices, also.
Roaming her eyes over the armor she took note of the long horns on his helmet. Could the guy have made it anymore obvious his allegiances were to the darkness? The red and gold color scheme would look heroic on anyone besides this person. The armor looked demonic with his malicious energy crackling around him.
A shiver ran down her spine, she could sense the unknown man scrutinizing her in a similar fashion. The helmet was covering his features perfectly which irked her. She felt naked and vulnerable being unable to determine this entity's emotions.
She nearly jumped when the newly tossed body- it sounded boyish- groaned on the ground beside the armored male. The armored male looked down and dismissively told the figure to pipe down.
Aqua took an aggressive step forward in warning. She didn't like how close the man was standing next to the collapsed boy. "Who are you? Unless you're here looking for trouble, I suggest you state the purpose of your visit." Aqua snarled at the unknown male, "Tell me now, are you the one who experimented on these children?"
"Don't have the liberty of providing my identity or objective, but," the male examined the bodies and lifted his head to face her, "I'm many things but a mad scientist isn't one of them."
A tough guy with a hidden motive. The thought of prying information out of him when he was defeated thrilled her. The guy's arrogant front needed to be knocked down a peg or two.
The boy groaned again causing the armored male to shake his head in disgust, "Lately I've been reduced to the role of a garbageman."
"Watch your mouth." Her nostrils flared. It took great self-restraint to not rush him. With all that armor on he wouldn't be able to match her speed.
"Have my words provoked you?" Her irritation seemed to egg him on, "No offense intended my lady, just stating facts."
The condescending way he said 'my lady' made her bristle. The keyblade wielder unintentionally took on a battle stance as Aqua watched the man's helmet sweep his gaze up-and-down her taut stance with appreciation. A sudden urge to fling her keyblade at his head popped in her head.
One wrong comment was about to earn him a thundaga.
That thought was dashed when one of the girls in the alley cried out for her parents to rescue her. She couldn't risk injuring these children due to humiliation to her character.
Inhaling and exhaling through her nose, she calmed her mind.
"Numerous people have challenged me, similar to you, but none of them have been able to land a single strike on me. Sadly, I doubt you'll break the trend." The man loosened his stance to make it apparent he didn't consider her a threat. He taunted her further. "Parents sought me out in the hopes they would prevent my clutches from reaching their own child. The fools came at me in all shapes and sizes, each weaker than the last. Take a guess what happened to those unfortunate enough to encounter me?"
Aqua's heart slowed as horror washed over her. What had he done to them?
The girl sobbed harder for her parents to take her home.
God, did he actually murder their parents? Earlier he mentioned not having the liberty of revealing information on himself, did he annihilate those who discovered his identity? All those parents simply wanting to protect their children. How horrific!
It took a few seconds for her to recall there hadn't been any casualties reported. This fiend was lying through his teeth.
"Quit with the lies," Aqua sliced a hand through the air, "you're trying to get into my head but your lying skills aren't all that impressive." Matching his condescending tone, she stated dismissively, "Despite your air of pompousness, it looks to me like you're nothing more than a delivery boy."
The guy wanted to play head games so be it. Aqua didn't like resorting to such underhanded methods but didn't mind getting under his skin a little.
The helmet's coverage made it difficult to discern his mood. A sudden spike in dark energy was the only indicator his mood was souring. The situation could turn dangerous if she didn't monitor his energy readings- the only way to predict his attack patterns.
She wasn't fully trained in handling dark energy techniques since the keyblade wielders were under the impression it wasn't a necessary requirement. A reckless decision on their behalf.
"Got me there." A tense silence followed before the man blew off her statements, "Have to admit the feeling is mutual in regards to you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Aqua in confusion.
"Isn't it obvious?" he held up his hands and shrugged. "You're just another weakling who doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. You shouldn't have meddled with my affairs, little girl, for all your righteous fury, I doubt you have any means of backing up your boasts."
The man motioned towards the bodies, "Whichever one of these brats is your sibling just take them and leave already. Stop wasting my time with all this idle chatter."
"Says the man who doesn't know how to shut up," Aqua mocked. Though he did have a point, this back-and-forth bantering had to cease eventually. The problem was- who was going to strike first?
Without knowing what abilities he wielded she didn't want to leap straightaway into danger. All she knew was the man was a dark wielder, but what he could do with that energy was beyond her comprehension.
Why hadn't she taken it upon herself to research ways to counter a dark wielder during her years of training? Or, why hadn't the master offered suggestions?
Years of being without noteworthy threats against the world order had made the masters become lethargic in the past few centuries. They were under the impression the villains of the dark organizations were extinct. Master Eraqus and Aqua grew overly comfortable in their little bubble of ignorance.
Once this battle was over and done with, she would make it her first objective to research the texts on dark wielders of lore.
Shouldn't be too hard to find information on dark spellcasters, there were dozens of them. Her opponent was still quietly observing her as she mentally admitted he was possibly the first dark spellcaster she encountered to pose a threat.
Thankfully, and more concerning, the stories of dark keyblade warriors were diminishing after the great war centuries prior. Nonetheless, a few dark keyblade wielders survived the war but their lineage died off. It was difficult to find stories on these types of keyblade wielders.
The Keyblade War between the light and dark was just a bedtime story and nothing more. Dark spellcasters were all that remained.
Nothing to fret about there.
A hum of confidence settled over her. If he wanted to go toe-to-toe in a battle of magic then she would launch a round of light beams at him to knock him out instantly. That would silence him.
She wasn't a prideful person but if there was one thing she excelled at in her lessons it was magic.
"Not sure what's running through your head, but I'm about to wipe that smug look off your face." The man crossed his arms and shook his head, "Come on, I don't have all day. Call for help, take your kid and beat it, or attack me. Just do something already."
The boy, sensing his insertion in their argument, decided to groan loudly, he said something under his breath that made the armor man swerve his head down to growl at the boy. Next thing she knew the man kicked the boy in the ribs. Aqua's mouth dropped open upon hearing a painful crunching sound and prayed there wasn't an internal injury. The boy cried out.
The man's energy rose further as he said to the boy, "I told you to keep your mouth shut or you'll regret crossing me."
The man barely had time to react when Aqua launched herself at him, yelling out midleap, "You'll be the one to regret crossing me."
Using her boost of momentum, Aqua did a roundabout kick to his head. A surge of pain shot through her leg the moment her boot made contact with the medal. She was used to kicking armor-clad warriors during battles but their material was cheaply made and didn't register on her pain tolerance level. This was going to leave a bruise.
Her armored boots were the only reason she wasn't cradling a broken foot.
Aqua jerked back, barely missing his fist as he threw a side punch towards her face. The tip of his knuckles grazed across the bridge of her nose. Adrenaline was messing with her symptoms because she swore everything was happening in slow motion.
Drat, the guy wasn't your average dumb, brawny brute. Most goonies hit the ground after receiving a boot to the cranium.
Said brute was trying to perform an uppercut making her leap back to avoid having her chin cracked.
Her landing wasn't perfect, trying to land gracefully on a throbbing foot. Her leg almost gave out but she managed to right herself. This wasn't the worst injury to her foot. During her younger years she managed to have a few bones broken during scuffles and still found ways to fight while enduring the pain.
Mind over matter.
Imaginary fireworks went off in her brain when she noticed the male was awkwardly shaking his head; possibly trying to fight off the aftermath of her blow. Hah, guess he had suffered a few injures of his own.
The guy giving her a headache should be tough enough to handle an actual headache, right?
Aqua smirked, thinking, "Wimp."
An urge to kick him again popped in her head but she waved the idea off reluctantly. Truly, all she wanted was to knock some sense into that thick skull of his. And the thought of him collapsing with a throbbing headache felt like a small victory.
"How's the head?"
The male was bent over, his hand covering his visor. Her question made him quickly drop his hand, he turned his helmet in her direction and she swore he was glaring at her. He nodded his chin towards her injured leg, "irritating. How's the leg?"
"Tis but a scratch."
Yeah, he was definitely glaring at her, she could feel daggers shooting from his eyes. "Taking a cue from earlier, how about you shut up instead?
Weren't they the perfect epitome of adulthood?
Her memory box- filled with sarcastic quips she overheard at the orphanage- wasn't popping up any good responses no matter how she rattled the box. One agonizing problem with being a model student, with limited social interaction with peers her own age past early childhood, was her lack of invention with coming up with snarky material on the spot.
Never was able to succeed in trash-talking the enemy when they threw insults at her.
Memories of schoolyard spats over sandboxes and taking turns on the swing weren't going to conjure up good retorts. Then again, those few comments she once thought stupid were aggravating this guy so those kids were onto something.
Wait, what did trash talking have anything to do with this fight?
Putting on her thinking cap she contemplated her next move: hand-to-hand combat wasn't going to work within this narrow passageway and against that thick armor. Her armored boots against his full-body suit of armor. Wonder whose armor would crack first?
Aqua considered wearing her own suit of armor but was afraid of adding property damage to the list of casualties if things turned sour. A gut feeling, and foolish pride, prevented her from calling forth the armor.
Generally, she was better at using her legs when fighting physically. Aqua could land a mean punch but her kicks often subdued those exaggeratedly muscular, combatant types.
She spared a glance behind her to determine how close they were to the other kids. Besides the boy directly by his feet, the other children were too close for comfort.
Guess it was time to take this battle out in the open.
Magic spells in this compacted area would leave all occupants needing extra time with a healer. Her barrier couldn't shelter everyone.
"Here goes nothing," she thought.
Aqua threw her hand out and called forth her keyblade, Rainfell. The moment she felt the cool metal hit her fingertips she took off sprinting. Drawing her arms back, she knelt down and leapt to his side to swing her blade at his stomach, hopefully the blow would send him flying backwards.
The man leapt away- seconds before her keyblade struck home- and landed outside the alley. Aqua wasted no time charging him.
She took a few swipes at him but he was on the defensive and kept stepping outside her reach. The one pet peeve about fighting taller opponents was their ability to take longer steps away to avoid her blows.
"Enough of this," she grunted.
No civilians were in the area, much to her appreciation. Not only was the stench keeping them away but the commotion would unnerve them.
Aqua gripped her keyblade between her hands to angle the tip in his general direction and launched a lightning attack. The waves of energy crackled between her fingers.
The male let out a startled curse word she couldn't quite determine within the soundwaves.
A rush of darkness swarmed towards her making her jerk back and halting her attack. It felt like someone tied a blindfold over her eyes as everything went black. This wave of darkness even blotted out the starry sky above them.
All the air was abruptly sucked out like a vortex making it difficult to breathe. Her lungs burned. The sensation was similar to drowning.
Between one breath and the next he dove to the side, missing her attack, and the next was heading her way cloaked in crackling shadows. This dark energy he was controlling was boosting his stamina turning his dash into a torpedo.
Aqua felt the nearby torchlights being snuffed out with the intensity of his energy.
It seemed the brute had a few tricks up his sleeve. No wonder the teens were fearful of his arrival.
Now she was the one on the defensive trying to avoid his onslaught. Backflips and twirls were barely providing her distance. Fear made her stop breathing when he teleported in front of her, so close she could see her eyes reflected in his visor. Placing both hands on his chest she shoved him back while casting blizzaga.
He budged slightly. A smile graced her features when she heard him hiss through his teeth, he was trying to cast a quick fire to remove the discomfort of her freezing spell.
Aqua performed a double jump to avoid another fist as he came at her in a vengeance all while clutching his breastplate.
There weren't any areas to offer shelter from the mounting darkness. Surely, he would pull some of the shadows back, it was hard to see anything a few feet away. Unless his armor was custom-made to withstand these types of powers?
Breathing had to be difficult in his current guise! She was barely holding onto consciousness. The suffocating darkness was adding to her discomfort. All these evasive techniques were taxing, her lungs were pleading for a break.
"Oh, how the tides have turned," the man snarled, "try dodging this."
Out of nowhere she saw a flash of red colored energy explode as he threw his hand forward, confusing her. The keyblade wielder was startled by the sight of his lower arms shifting: the armor took on a black hue starting at his forearm and his fingertips turning bloodred. The coloring was remarkably similar to the dark discoloration on the children.
The strange sight left her momentarily transfixed. Transformation wasn't outside the realm of possibility in their world but she never saw magic of this caliber. Thrill or dread? She couldn't pinpoint her exact feelings but it didn't negate her sense of fascination.
Reality literally took ahold of her to bring her back to the present. The man's arm not only changed colors- it changed sizes as well. One of those mesmerizing hands was enveloping her now. Aqua was promptly hoist off the ground effortlessly. She struggled valiantly but couldn't break the man's grip.
Never in her wildest dreams did Aqua imagine being squeezed to death by a former, seemingly ordinary brute. Her imagination wasn't this creative.
The internal jokes ended when violent spasms of dark energy coursed through her entire body painfully.
Every cell in her body felt like it was exploding. She swore the darkness was weaving into her bloodstream corrupting her. The pain became unbearable, no matter how hard she fought she couldn't help screaming when the sensations became overwhelming.
No wonder the children were terrified of him. Did they suffer the same fate under his grasp?
Her vision swam. Unless she wanted to throw this battle, she needed to pry him off or risk collapsing.
Aqua started to chant under her breath: a calming technique. It was another remnant from her days at the orphanage. With great resolution she mentally fought off his energy waves and focused on calling forth the light contained within her. If he wanted to fight with darkness then she would challenge him with the light.
Gently, she called upon the light hidden in her heart. Unlike her opponent she revered the powers granted to her and resisted using her light-based powers in acts of childish displays of aggression. Armored man must have felt the change coming from within her as he tightened his grip and intensified his powers.
Enough with this manhandling.
She pulled all her energy inwards to make her release more powerful. Aqua let out a visceral yell as she released her powers in the form of a barrier. The man's grip loosened; he was knocked back by the barrier's eruption.
Deep, appreciative inhales were taken by the shaky Aqua. She took a few steps back to put distance between them as she prayed for her nerves to calm.
Just what kind of darkness-infused attack was that?
The man seemed to be reading her thoughts as she looked between him and the children. The man chuckled darkly, "Did you enjoy my dark impulse attack? Most people find it very riveting, should they stay conscious." He nodded his head towards the alley, "Unfortunately, these kids didn't appreciate it's beauty." His helmet lingered towards the newest addition to the horde.
Aqua didn't have the energy to chew him out, she could barely move without her legs wanting to buckle. A searing pain ran through her brain. She placed a hand on her scalp trying to resist the urge to vomit.
Aqua used the hand resting on her forehead to cast curaga. The healing incantation helped dull the pain slightly. She dropped her hand to narrow her eyes at the bane of her existence, who was watching her with intrigue.
Or, he was watching with some form of fascination. Honestly, she couldn't tell, nor cared, at this point in her exhausted state. Sleep had never sounded so wonderful.
Never again would she underestimate darkness-inspired techniques. One more hit from his dark impulse and she was a goner in her current state. Without any proper training on fending off darkness, she was no better than a rookie in their first match.
An imaginary strategy book popped opened in her brain. Typically, she preferred to use magic in duels but her mind was still reeling from his attack making her unable to focus. She didn't want to unintentionally launch a spell at a civilian.
Until her migraine subsided, she would rely on physical attacks. There were a few techniques that didn't involve close-range combat. She needed to wait until the full effects of the curaga kicked in.
It was time to teach this brat a lesson on why you shouldn't mess with a keyblade master.
The brute was an exceptional dark wielder when compared to other opponents she faced on the battlefield. However, there was one lesson he hadn't learned: light would always prevail over darkness. This knowledge was ingrained in her soul.
Opening her pouch, she took out an elixir and greedily downed the liquid for extra replenishment to her health. It dawned on Aqua that her opponent hadn't healed once since the battle's commencement. Vexingly, she was slightly humiliated with this realization.
The brute was either: unbelievably powerful or an idiot. A man putting forth a haughty macho act to hide inabilities or a calculative chess master waiting for the perfect timing?
An answer was handed to her practically giftwrapped- the man was shifting weight between his feet when his left leg nearly collapsed during the motion. How wonderful, yet horrible, that this man sustained a few injuries during their encounter.
Did the man know how to heal or was he just being stubborn?
Aqua pretended to wipe some smudge off her lips to hide a smile filled with vindication.
"Yes, your dark impulse is truly a spectacle, but I've got a few tricks of my own to show you."
"What, are you going to aggravate me to death? Believe me when I say you're exceeding at that." Despite his bravado, the man was making snappy remarks through obviously clenched teeth.
It was hard to consider him a threat now- he was slumping over from pain and exhaustion and could barely talk without growling like a cornered animal. How the mighty had fallen.
Recuperation was on his agenda when the battle was finalized.
Speaking of battle finales, she finally settled on her finishing strike. There was a wide arrangement of spells and attacks to show off; but her personal favorites require limberness and creativity.
Luckily, she took extra time stretching before flying to Traverse Town.
Some of her favorite fighting techniques were the ones resembling a dance. Each step and swing of her body and blade was meant to inflict and deflect strikes. Aqua always got lost in the rhythm and movements of the dance.
Back at the orphanage, one of her favorite pastimes was dancing. Aqua would spin round-and-round the room pretending to be a fighter ballerina as she swung a wooden sword at imaginary foes. Even as an adult she enjoyed getting caught up in childhood déjà vu- minus the stabbing with a wooden sword.
The orphanage seemed to be on her mind a lot this evening. Odd. Very odd.
Hmm, where did the wooden sword come from? She couldn't recall.
What did it all matter anyway? The only time she danced nowadays was in the heat of battle.
"Such a short-tempered boy, don't worry I'll make this worth your while," she teased. The man took an awkward inhale of air, stun with the sudden shift in her mood. Poor man didn't realize what was about to happen.
She almost pitied him.
"Try to keep up," she gloated after teleporting in front of him.
Calling forth the light within her heart to assist her, Aqua used her light-wielding abilities to make the keyblade hover near her hand.
It was payback time.
He crossed his arms above his head to block off some headshots but she twirled and stroke the blade through the air aiming at his unprotected torso and stomach regions. When he shifted to protect those areas, she aimed for his arms and legs instead. Her movements were nimble and light causing the bulkier man to stumble about like a raging bull.
Each pulsating reverberation on his armor caused by her blade was music to her ears.
The male's dark energy readings were spiking again signaling for her to end this clash.
"Farewell," she called out, jumping into the air and swinging her blade down to hopefully immobilize him. The guy wasn't walking off another head injury.
Or so she thought. Life is such a strange and unpredictable thing.
Aqua's eyes widened in horror as a keyblade materialized in his hand. He used his own blade to counter her strike. Using all her weight she tried to push down but he wasn't budging.
The guy was built like a boulder.
He pushed his wielding arm out to toss her back.
Landing on her feet, she couldn't help looking up at him in bewilderment. "How are you able to wield a keyblade?" she whispered.
It wasn't possible. It couldn't be!
The only keyblade wielders left were her and her master.
The rest of his former pupils and allies either died off or excommunicated themselves from the art. Many people desired to become wielders but lacked the aptitude or willpower to properly wield one.
She was the only remaining student of Master Eraqus. Aqua knew he detested anything associated with darkness; therefore, he couldn't have trained this individual. The armored male's fighting techniques were contradictory to her own. She wielded the keyblade like a painter stroking a paintbrush along a canvas with reverence. Her opponent was highly aggressive and destructive in his movements, he reminded her of a wrecking ball whenever he struck.
"It can't be," she hadn't moved from her sprawled out position on her knees after collapsing from disbelief.
"Believe it," he stated dispassionately, he took a couple of steps toward her but paused at the warning glare shot in his direction. Her white-knuckled clench on her blade's handle was another probable factor for his decision to maintain distance.
Anger lit up in her chest, for reasons she couldn't understand.
He couldn't be a keyblade wielder, he couldn't be! Dark keyblade wielders were gone, vanquished.
It was improbable for someone possessing this much dark energy to slip under their radar. Did he train himself? Did he have a master? Was there an underground organization of dark keyblade wielders?
How could he, how could he, how could he be a keyblade wielder?
Lost in thought, she didn't take notice of the male kneeling in front of her. "Seems my master was telling half-truths regarding light wielders."
Aqua snapped out of her thoughts to stare at him suspiciously. She didn't appreciate his close proximity, nor how he was treating the profoundness of this occasion.
Her whole world and ideology were being shattered by his mere existence; on his end, he could have been talking about the weather with how much interest he was expressing.
It dawned on her that he unintentionally revealed some information on his origins. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she leaned forward on her hands to ask, "Master?"
His guard was dropped. If she played on her ignorance maybe he would reveal other details of his lifestyle.
This was a dangerous position should he turn violent but her curiosity was overruling judgment. There was another master out there? Aqua's decision- regarding her opponent- switched from defeating to apprehending him. Master Eraqus would want to meet with this man.
They were going to interrogate him on his powers and plausible ties to his master or organization's involvement with the children. If there was an already established master and pupil relationship then it wouldn't be farfetched to believe there were additional pupils being deployed, also.
Rumors did state there were different locations around the world of body deposits. This guy may not be working alone.
Yes, she was apprehending this guy one way or another.
His helmet shot up and she could feel his eyes looking into her own, "Didn't mean to say that."
His head angled down towards her wielding hand now gleaming with a pure, white light. The man sighed, "After meeting you I can honestly say light wielders are quite vexing people. And you, my lady, reign supreme in being a pest among the lot."
The pleasing sound of a collision occurred seconds after his statement. The armored male was groaning against a wall on the opposite side of the street after she performed a strike raid. The keyblade circled back to her raised hand.
Aqua lifted her gaze to see the stars twinkling again on a clear, brisk evening. The shadows dissolved to reveal the alleyway and outer area. Traverse Town truly was a quaint little town to visit, she imagined sitting outside to sip tea and see shooting stars. Hardly any pollution in this quiet portion of the world.
One day she would visit again.
The newest victim jerked awake to audibly groan. He said something instantly drawing her attention, "Terra, please don't abandon me here. Please, ask the master to forgive me, I swear to avoid displeasing him again. Please, I want to go home, Terra."
Terra?
Abandoning?
A master approving the removal of members he deemed pathetic?
Just what kind of barbaric organization was she dealing with here?
"Shut up, Ventus," the man responded viciously. "The master gave several chances for you to prove yourself and the only thing you managed to succeed was 'displeasing him'. Weaklings have no place in our ranks so you don't have a home anymore, Ventus. We don't need or want you."
Aqua was stunned by the man's cruelty but shamefully couldn't think of any compassionate words to offer the downtrodden boy. Something told her this young man wouldn't appreciate her pity.
An urge to interfere was overwhelming but she didn't have a dog in this fight. No matter how the discussion ended these boys were coming with her. Might as well get the heartache out of the way.
The only good thing to come out of this battle and argument was a name for her enemy: Terra. The name felt fitting for reasons she couldn't determine.
And Ventus, the boy wanting to prove himself worthy of belonging.
Terra and Ventus.
There was much to discover regarding these boys and their mysterious master. Her own master would appreciate having two culprits to interrogate regarding the body pileups. Master Eraqus was going to have a field day when he learned dark keyblade bearers were making a comeback.
The boy- no, Ventus- started tearing up, "No, this can't be the final nail in the coffin. It was one mistake; I'll learn from the experience and get stronger. Just give me another chance, please."
"Ventus, your heart just wasn't strong enough," Terra shook off fallen debris as he stood up, making an obvious scoffing sound when Aqua jumped in front of Ventus to shield him. "Truth be told, he wanted to eliminate you."
The boy's eyes watered, tears cascading down his dirty cheeks. Those tear-filled eyes broke Aqua's heart.
Ventus's sobs sent a current in the air, the other teens were feeding off this energy. She looked toward the alleyway where the other teenagers were groaning and crying out for help.
Were these children of similar circumstance? Children abandoned by their master?
Master.
Aqua looked over her shoulder at Ventus, wondering, "Is this boy another keyblade bearer?"
If Terra was a keyblade wielder then maybe this boy was one also?
She closed her eyes and reached out with her powers to sense whether the boy possessed the mark of a bearer. The strongest presence was the man, Terra, whose dark energy cloaked the surrounding area, suffocating it. But there was another aura she could detect, smaller in comparison, hidden alongst the shadows. Unlike Terra, this boy's presence wasn't tainted by darkness.
Aqua's heart soared.
No wonder he was deemed a failure: He was a light wielder!
Aqua beckoned the boy's light to grant her permission to glimpse whether he was keyblade wielder. It took a great deal of patience and effort to shift through the Ventus's heart but finally she found what she was looking for. Sure enough, there was the glow, the sensation, of another keyblade wielder. He lacked Terra's proficiency in shielding his powers- for someone who knew how to properly look for the keyblade's markings.
This identifying ability was recently taught to her after her ordination. She wasn't used to feeling out for other keyblade wielders, this was uncharted territory for her.
Nonetheless she was thrilled. Both keyblade wielders were coming with her!
Secretly, she was thankful to not be alone anymore. After her master's passing, she would be the only keyblade wielder left- or so she thought.
Aqua's giddiness was quickly doused by Terra's maliciousness. Leave it to this jerk to ruin a good thing.
"The rest of us thought his decision too cruel, it's not your fault for being incompetent," he waved a hand towards the town square, "My suggestion was to leave you behind with these commoners. You had a good run, Ventus, but your part in the master's plans is over."
"Better be on your best behavior and not cause us any trouble," the atmosphere shifted again in warning, Terra's voice turning sinister, "or I'll follow through with the master's original orders."
Enough with the warnings!
"That's enough, Terra," Aqua enunciated his name deliberately. His name on her lips drew his attention immediately. His helmet shot towards her. The man's silence gave her the impression he had forgotten about her and was sweating now. In her mind, she thought, "Got you."
Terra was no longer an enigma. Should these attacks continue to happen his face would be the poster boy. Aqua was a relentless detective when necessary; if there were more accomplices in these cases, she would smoke them out.
Terra shook his head remorsefully and let out a weary sigh, slumping his shoulders. "Almost forgot about you…" his voice trailed off. He rolled his head in her direction, nonchalantly inquiring, "What's your name, light wielder? If you know mine, then it's only common courtesy to tell me yours."
What was this: a meet-and-greet?
Aqua threw her arms up, incredulously responding, "Isn't it a little late to be playing at pleasantries?"
"Don't be prideful, we're all team players here. You know our names, so why not grant us the honor of knowing your identity, my lady." His tone was mocking. Aqua wanted to throw her keyblade at his helmet again.
Was this man for real?
"Forgive my transgression, but I'm not feeling obligated to give you my name," she said cuttingly. "Perhaps, if you hadn't tortured these children or attempted to slay me, I would be more lenient."
Also, a sense of uncertainty hung in the air. The feeling of being watched returned with a vengeance. She flicked her glance towards the alley but couldn't see any changes.
Aqua started to reach out with her senses when the sounds of shouting drew her back.
"Not now," Aqua grumbled under her breath, recognizing the sounds of human voices.
Her last nerve was being tested, she watched as two middle-aged civilians rounded the corner inquiring if everything was okay because they heard a commotion. Both individuals should have left at the sight of an exhausted, battered key blade wielder glowering at them, a nearly comatose boy crying on the ground, or the guy in a suit of armor swarming with malevolent energy.
A normal person would take one look at the scene and leave immediately. These people lacked basic survival instincts and wanted to gawk at the sight laid out.
Did these two live such sheltered lives they weren't realizing their irrational decision to spy was about to get them killed? Shouldn't the odor emitted from the teenagers' dark wounds given them pause?
What about this situation made a sane person decide to waltz into the thick of danger?
The blue-haired master was inches away from losing her composure when the civilians clamped their hands over their noses. The sight sent a quiet thrill through her. "Yes, this place is practically flashing danger signs at you. Take the hint and flee," she thought.
A clock tower in the distance chimed loudly. Aqua flicked a glance at the clock to discover over twenty minutes had passed since she entered this section of the town. Before long, other nosy civilians would come to inspect. Their self-discipline being forsaken.
Yet, another wrench thrown into her path. Unfortunately, she could not fully materialize in three places at once. In her exhausted state she doubted she could keep: the teenagers in the alley, the intruding civilians, and Ventus, safe if another battle persisted.
Speed and magic were her best attributes but she was running on empty. The darkness was still coursing through her body, her mind struggling to stay focus. Her brain and heart were screaming at her to get this invasive entity out of her system.
Apparently, the intruders' appearance was also making Terra's mood plummet. His shadows were inching along the ground towards the civilians predatorily.
"This day just gets better and better," Terra stated in an eerily detached voice. Aqua's eyes were glued on the shadows, she was biding her time trying to calculate his next move.
Hopefully he would abandon ship and scram to avoid being detained by whatever security system the townsfolk had in place.
Even though it would leave a bad taste in her mouth Aqua was willing to let him escape to avoid any further casualties. Although she would have liked to bring Terra to Master Eraqus, she still had Ventus in her grasp to question once he recuperated.
She needed to make the best of a bad situation.
Of course, today just wasn't her lucky day.
It appeared the civilians had a death wish.
The middle-aged stylish woman, looking extremely out of place in her fancy feather boa and jeweled heels, demanded an explanation. Her shrill voice reminded Aqua of nails on a chalkboard. The woman's intimidation factor received point deduction as she coughed behind her hand. "Mark my words, boy, if you're the one causing trouble I'll perform a citizen's arrest here and now!"
Terra just stared at the woman. He didn't make a move, say a word, or anything, but Aqua saw his shadow tendrils creep closer to the meddlers. The older male was watching the interaction with wide-eyes.
"Oh, how I tremble," Terra responded humorlessly, summoning his keyblade. Terra angled the tip of his blade at the civilians. "Tell me, are you good at dodging?"
The tip began crackling with dark energy, Aqua knew from recent experience he was about to launch a shadow attack.
The civilians froze on the spot, their faces turning ghostly white as they realize death was staring them in the face.
"Get out of here!" Aqua cried out, running towards them. Aqua got there just in time to throw up a barrier as Terra shot a wave of darkness at them. The attack hit her barrier with a loud boom. The force of the impact made her feet slide backwards. She pressed her keyblade against the barrier to apply resistance.
"Flee while you can, the barrier won't hold forever!" she angled her head to yell over her shoulder.
Neither adult moved, their eyes trained on something in front of her. Aqua was about to yell again when she felt an unsettling sensation that made her skin crawl. The hair along the back of her neck stood up.
Slowly, she turned her head and squinted her eyes trying to try making out shapes in the pitch black. Waves of shadows were colliding against the barrier, hiding the surrounding area and Terra. It took her eyes a moment to adjust when she finally noticed a completely black mask staring her in the face.
Aqua let out a startled gasp.
This mask's face covering was made of some glassy material, the reflection showing her horrified expression. Slowly, the rest of the body materialized out of the darkness to show a toned figure in a red and black garment that resembled a bodysuit. The red lines along the fabric looked eerily like veins.
This being possessed a humanoid form- from what little she could see- and gave off the impression of being a younger male based on his smaller frame in comparison to Terra's.
Was this thing linked to Terra? Was this one of his companions he mentioned earlier?
Unlike Terra's occasional haughtiness, this thing's aura spoke of never-ending desolation and a similar sensation of staring into a void. Eternal darkness, endless nothingness.
Never in her life had she felt something like this.
The creature appeared to be riding the waves of darkness! It was hovering mid-air and possessed some type of ability to ward the darkness back.
Looking into that pitch black mask, she recalled thinking about eyes watching her from the shadows earlier. Maybe this person was the cause of it?
Based on the figure's physique she assumed it must be human?
"What are you, demon?" Aqua asked breathlessly. It may have the body of a human but it didn't feel like one.
"Wouldn't you like to know, light wielder," mocked the maniacal sounding creature. It sounded male? "The stench of your kind is unsufferable." The creature tilted his head, "Sadly for you, now isn't the time for introductions." The male placed a red-fingered glove against her barrier, "See you later, loser."
The shadow creature applied his own signature dark energy against the barrier. Aqua's heart plummeted at the signs of the barrier crackling; it was going to collapse soon. Aqua was barely managing to cave under the pressure of both attacks.
"Save yourselves, go now!" Aqua cried out as chips of the barrier fell off. The civilians didn't need to be told a fourth time; finally realizing they were about to die the civilians fled.
The civilians got away in the nick of time; the barrier collapsed within seconds of them leaving. The shadow attacks from both armored males were giving Aqua a run for her money. She closed her eyes and silently prayed she wouldn't fold against the onslaught.
Unfortunately, this new opponent was vastly superior in dark wielding compared to Terra. The dark creature kept his palm facing forward as he started to stalk towards Aqua effortlessly. Aqua tried to keep her eyes focused on the red glove to determine his location while taking steps back. It was getting harder and harder to see her surroundings.
During her retreat, she collided into the wall behind her with a loud oomph. She gripped her keyblade beneath her fingertips and held it in front of her like a shield. Aqua's eyes widened in horror as the male tauntingly wrapped his fingers around the center of her blade.
What?
The male cheerfully announced, "Ha-ha, made you look."
She tilted her head and gave him a perplexed look, thrown off by his demeanor shift. "What are you talking abo-," she stopped talking as the shadows dissolved instantaneously. All traces of darkness vanished; besides the odor and deafening silence of the alleyway, things had returned to normal.
Why were things this quiet?
The silence was unsettling, she waited to hear one of the teenagers call for help but not a peep.
Were they okay?
Her sight was drawn to Ventus. The boy's eyes were wide with disbelief. Millions of emotions were fluctuating through his gaze. He whispered something under his breath she couldn't hear.
Whatever Ventus said to the new boy irked him, tendrils of darkness slithering off him. "Ho, ho, you always were a troublesome boy, Venty," he taunted. Shoot, she needed to redirect his attention before he attacked Ventus.
"Hands off!" she shouted, trying to yank her keyblade, Rainfell, out of this new male's firm grip. How was this creature able to touch her blade? Weren't beings tied to the darkness repulsed by anything possessing light energy?
"For a light wielder, you're not very perceptive."
What was this boy talking about?
Wait, he was right, something was missing in this equation. That something being a person.
Speaking of boys, where had Terra gone?
Her eyes skimmed the area but saw no traces of the tall male. Maybe he fled?
"Says the guy whose friend abandoned him," she replied mockingly in return. "If you can call him that."
Contemptuous chuckles followed her response. Odd.
"Oh, how wrong you are," the creature stated in an offhand manner. He almost sounded bored. "Terra, can we finish this already? The light wielder is boring me to tears."
"Sorry Vanitas, thought the 'light wielder' would have noticed me by now," stated the man of the hour.
Aqua's spine stiffened, now becoming aware of the audible sounds of breathing directly behind her. How had he managed to slip behind her without her noticing him?
She turned her head to find Terra staring down at her. Aqua forgot how to breath in that brief moment of fear. She was frozen on the spot.
The newcomer- Vanitas- sent out a shockwave through the keyblade startling her. She whirled her head back to focus on him when a blow was struck to the back of her head. Aqua's knees buckled.
Aqua landed on the cement painfully. She blinked her eyes trying to focus but her vision was growing fuzzy. She could make out someone leaning down on one knee to inspect her. "Sorry about the head trauma but you're becoming a nuisance," said a voice she guessed was Terra based on the deeper pitch.
The other male in black loomed over her mockingly, "Keep Venty company for me, the loser needs new friends and you appear to be the best candidate. Losers tend to get along well with their own kind."
Aqua tried to get up but found it difficult, Terra's hand was making weird motions in the air. Her eyes grew heavy and she felt absolutely exhausted. He was casting sleep on her, the brat.
She tried to cast a quick esuna but couldn't form the words. It was hard to concentrate, she was so tired. Aqua's eyes closed to the sound of the male in black laughing fiendishly.
Author's Notes: Hello wonderful readers, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a like or comment if you enjoyed what you read. There's a bunch of author notes coming up so be prepared. You don't have to read them but it's just to answer some possible questions early on.
This is my first journey into Kingdom Hearts territory. Honestly, I wasn't planning to write a Kingdom Hearts story until recently. I'm in need of a fix for reading enemies-to-lovers fanfics and have read all the available content for Aqua and Terra on fanfiction sites several times. (I miss "The Dark Rule" by Majorie Franklin so much).
Finally, it dawned on me to just write a story of my own where Aqua and Terra are on opposing sides. I love reading about these two battling and need some sexual tension in the midst. In this chapter they've just met and consider each other sworn enemies, there's tension but not the good type just yet. This is not going to be an epic fic and will hopefully be very short. I don't want a lengthy story and don't plan to involve many characters of the Kingdom Hearts lore.
The Disney characters will not be making an appearance. This is mostly out of spite at Mickey Mouse leaving our best girl stuck in the realm of darkness for twelve years and Pete kicking my butt at that stupid Fruit volleyball game in KHBBS. I may have channel some of KHBBS2.8's Phantom Aqua's words while yelling at Aqua for getting knocked out by a grape to the head. Woman, you're a keyblade master don't let Captain Dark kick your butt in a volleyball game! Also, I cannot see Aqua and Terra having a serious conversation with Donald Duck and Goofy in this story. Just nope.
Final Fantasy characters are up in the air but I doubt they'll get featured. If any characters are used it's probably characters only introduced in the Kingdom hearts continuity.
Just a heads up, the characters will start cussing soon. I made a goal to myself to keep it PG this chapter and…I don't like it. Personally, I think these characters that are in their teens and early twenties should be able to cuss outside of the realm of Disney. So, if you don't like the thought of Aqua or Terra cussing then retreat while you can. This story will be changing rating to Mature at some point so just a head's up.
It is freaking hard to write battle scenes! Let me know if you thought it was decent because I was pulling my hair out trying to make the fights sound believable. Also, they love to talk about darkness a lot before battles in the games. Quoting Maleficent here, "Darkness…The True Darkness!" Did you know the word darkness is used over 400 times in the KH series? Almost every convo in KHBBS mentions darkness in some form or fashion so you get to enjoy hearing about it here. I'll stop here since my notes are turning into a novel but I have all the feels to express about my favorites!